The Lion’s Paw

There was a man who got laid off of his job. However, he was of high enough position to get a decent severance package. He swiftly grew bored with the inordinate amount of idle time that was suddenly his. So, the man went off into the desert in imitation of the weekend warriors he once knew. However, a torrential downpour stranded his SUV and the man sought refuge in a nearby cave. The man soon became aware that another shared the cave with him: a lion shuffled about in the darkness.

To the man’s surprise, the lion did not try to eat him. Instead, the lion showed the man one of its paws; a thorn was deeply embedded within. The man plucked the thorn out of the paw, and thereupon the lion showed the man a great amount of gratitude-chiefly, this was by not eating the man. As far as the lion was concerned, this was a great sign of magnanimity.

Unsure of how long this amiable situation might last, the man left once the rain ceased and the ground was dry enough to drive away. Once he returned to civilization, the man found that he was implicated, along with many others in his former business, in a corporate fraud scheme. The Emperor declared that they should all be thrown to the beasts at the next public spectacle (which was soon, it was Thursday night when this transpired). When the time came, the man and his fellow workers were thrown to the lions. While short work was made by the others, the man was spared by the lions-who were all aware of the kindness the man showed one of them.

Of course, the crowd was amazed by this. The Emperor offered the man amnesty if he would only tell the Emperor just how he managed to convince the lions not to eat him. The man told the Emperor everything, sparing no details upon fear of losing his life. The Emperor then went out into the desert in search of a lion in similar conditions, and finding one in a cave, pulled the thorn from its paw.

The lion thereupon ate the Emperor. He had heard from the other lions that the thorn was a good way to get a man to approach closely. And it seemed they were right.